Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior is proud to be a Gooner.

The young Pole is coming up on a year since his move from Spezia.

Kiwior told arsenal.com: “I never expected to be at such a big club, and I was surprised at the size of everything. Of course I knew Arsenal as a very big club, but what surprised me was how well everything was organised and how well I was looked after right from the beginning.

“It's true it was a challenge for me at the start, but I wanted to take that challenge because I want to play for a big club like this. What made it easier was I had a lot of help from a lot of people, not just players and coaches in the dressing room. It was a nervous time for me in those first few days, but the players were really good with me.

“What was really good for me was when Alex Zinchenko introduced me to the whole squad on my first day here. It was funny because I was at Emirates Stadium to watch us play Manchester United the day before I was due to go to the training ground to sign.

“After the game, Zinchenko was down by the pitch waiting to do interviews, and he saw me there. So he introduced himself and said, 'Welcome to Arsenal, have you met the boys yet?' I told him I hadn't, so he took me into the dressing room and introduced me to everyone.

“This was just after we had won a huge match! He made it great for me, because of course I was nervous about meeting everyone, but he made it easy. He went around and made sure I chatted to everyone. It was a big help. The whole group was really open and friendly."